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Friday, September 30, 2011

This evening I want to share my church's (Greenville Presbyterian Church) new website. I was excited when my friend first showed me this cool site while it was still in the works, and before I was allowed to make it public. But now it's official and I can share:-)!

1. It is a very desirable thing to
have our thoughts established, and not tossed, and put into
a hurry, by disquieting cares and fears,—to go on in an even
steady course of honesty and piety, not disturbed, or put out of
frame, by any event or change,—to be satisfied that all shall work
for good and issue well at last, and therefore to be always easy
and sedate.

2. The only way to have our thoughts established
is to commit our works to the Lord. The great concerns of
our souls must be committed to the grace of God, with a dependence
upon and submission to the conduct of that grace (2 Timothy 2:12); all our outward
concerns must be committed to the providence of God, and to the
sovereign, wise, and gracious disposal of that providence. Roll
thy works upon the Lord; roll the burden of
thy care from thyself upon God. Lay the matter before him by
prayer.Make known thy works unto the Lord, not only the works of thy hand, but the workings of thy heart;
and then leave it with him, by faith and dependence upon him,
submission and resignation to him. The will of the Lord be
done. We may then be easy when we resolve that whatever pleases
God shall please us.

Thursday, September 29, 2011

"God is
constant in his love. David tells us what he said to God in the
cave: "Thou art my refuge and my portion in the land of the
living; I depend upon thee to be so, my refuge to save
me from being miserable, my portion to make me happy. The
cave I am in is but a poor refuge. Lord, thy name is the
strong tower that I run into. Thou art my
refuge, in whom alone I shall think myself safe.
Those who in sincerity take the
Lord for their God shall find him all-sufficient both as a refuge
and as a portion, so that, as no evil shall hurt them, so no good
shall be wanting to them. There is enough in
God to answer all the necessities of this present time. We live in
a world of dangers and wants; but what danger need we fear if God
is our refuge, or what wants if he be our portion? Heaven, which
alone deserves to be called the land of the living, will be
to all believers both a refuge and a portion."

Wednesday, September 28, 2011

Fear has been on my mind - especially fears that may be completely unreasonable, but that are real nonetheless. That made me think of Mr. Fearing in Pilgrim's Progress so I looked up his story and shared part of what Mr. Great-Heart (his guide) explained to the other pilgrims about him below. What struck me the most in this story was how merciful God was to him in his fears. When I'm afraid I tend to feel even worse because I realize I'm not trusting the Lord, but in spite of his lack of trust the Lord pitied him and made his way easier than he did for some of the other pilgrims who were stronger in faith.

"Such pity as a father hath
unto his children dear;

Like pity shews the Lord to such
as worship him in fear.

For he remembers we are dust,
and he our frame well knows."

Psalm 103:13-14

"....why, he was always afraid that he should come short of where he had a desire to go. Everything frightened him that he heard anybody speak of, that had but the least appearance of opposition in it. I hear that he lay roaring at the Slough of Despond for above a month together; nor dared he, for all he saw several go over before him, venture, though they, many of them, offered to lend him their hand. He would not go back again neither. The Celestial City, he said, he should die if he came not to it; and yet was dejected at every difficulty, and stumbled at every straw that anybody cast in his way. Well, after he had lain at the Slough of Despond a great while, as I have told you, one sunshiny morning, I do not know how, he ventured, and so got over. But when he was over, he would scarce believe it. He had, I think, a Slough of Despond in his mind, a slough that he carried everywhere with him; or else he could never have been as he was.

So he came up to the gate--you know what I mean--that stands at the head of this way; and there also he stood a good while before he would adventure to knock. When the gate was opened, he would give back; and give place to others, and say that he was not worthy. For, for all he got before some to the gate, yet many of them went in before him. There the poor man would stand shaking and shrinking; I dare say it would have pitied one's heart to have seen him; nor would he go back again. At last he took the hammer that hanged on the gate in his hand, and gave a small rap or two; then one opened to him, but he shrunk back as before. He that opened stept out after him, and said, "Thou trembling one, what wantest thou?" With that he fell down to the ground. He that spoke to him wondered to see him so faint. So he said to him, 'Peace be to thee; up, for I have set open the door to thee; come in, for thou art blessed.' With that he got up, and went in trembling; and when he was in, he was ashamed to show his face.

So he came till he came to our house; but as he behaved himself at the gate, so he did at my master the Interpreter's door. He lay thereabout in the cold a good while before he would adventure to call; yet he would not go back. And the nights were long and cold then. Nay, he had a note of necessity in his bosom to my Master, to receive him, and grant him the comfort of his house; and also to allow him a stout and valiant conductor, because he was himself so afraid; and yet for all that he was afraid to call at the door. So he lay up and down thereabouts till, poor man, he was almost starved; yea, so great was his dejection, that though he saw several others for knocking get in, yet he was afraid to venture.... he seemed glad though when he saw the cross and the sepulchre. There I confess he desired to stay a little to look; and he seemed for awhile after to be a little cheery.

I got him in at the house Beautiful I think before he was willing; also when he was in, I brought him acquainted with the damsels that were of the place; but he was ashamed to make himself much for company. He desired much to be alone; yet he always loved good talk, and often would get behind the screen to hear it. He also loved much to see ancient things, and to be pondering them in his mind.

When we went also from the house Beautiful down the hill, into the Valley of Humiliation, he went down as well as ever I saw a man in my life; for he cared not how mean he was, so he might be happy at last. Yea, I think there was a kind of a sympathy betwixt that valley and him; for I never saw him better in all his pilgrimage than when he was in that valley.

He would now be up every morning by break of day, tracing, and walking to and fro in this valley.
But when he was come to the entrance of the Valley of the Shadow of Death, I thought I should have lost my man; not for that he had any inclination to go back--that he always abhorred,--but he was ready to die for fear. But this I took very great notice of: that this valley was as quiet while he went through it, as ever I knew it before or since. I suppose those enemies here had now a special check from our Lord; and a command not to meddle until Mr. Fearing was passed over it.

It would be too tedious to tell you of all, we will therefore only mention a passage more.....when he was come at the river where was no bridge, there again he was in a heavy case; now, now, he said, he should be drowned for ever, and so never see that face with comfort that he had come so many miles to behold.
"And here also I took notice of what was very remarkable: the water of that river was lower at this time than ever I saw it in all my life; so he went over at last not much above wetshod.

"O LORD God of my salvation, I have cried day and night before thee: Let my prayer come before thee: incline thine ear unto my cry; For my soul is full of troubles: and my life draweth nigh unto the grave. I am counted with them that go down into the pit: I am as a man that hath no strength: Free among the dead, like the slain that lie in the grave, whom thou rememberest no more: and they are cut off from thy hand. Thou hast laid me in the lowest pit, in darkness, in the deeps. Thy wrath lieth hard upon me, and thou hast afflicted me with all thy waves. Selah.
Thou hast put away mine acquaintance far from me; thou hast made me an abomination unto them: I am shut up, and I cannot come forth. Mine eye mourneth by reason of affliction: LORD, I have called daily upon thee, I have stretched out my hands unto thee. Wilt thou shew wonders to the dead? shall the dead arise and praise thee? Selah. Shall thy lovingkindness be declared in the grave? or thy faithfulness in destruction? Shall thy wonders be known in the dark? and thy righteousness in the land of forgetfulness? But unto thee have I cried, O LORD; and in the morning shall my prayer prevent thee.
LORD, why castest thou off my soul? why hidest thou thy face from me? I am afflicted and ready to die from my youth up: while I suffer thy terrors I am distracted. Thy fierce wrath goeth over me; thy terrors have cut me off. They came round about me daily like water; they compassed me about together. Lover and friend hast thou put far from me, and mine acquaintance into darkness."

Psalms 88:1-18

Honest: "But what should be the reason that such a good man should be all his days so much in the dark?"

Great-heart: There are two sorts of reasons for it: one is, the wise God will have it so; some must pipe, and some must weep......things that were his troublers, and they, as you have well observed, arose from the weakness of his mind thereabout; not from weakness of spirit as to the practical part of a pilgrim's life. I dare believe, that, as the proverb is, he could have bit a firebrand, had it stood in his way; but the things with which he was oppressed, no man ever yet could shake off with ease.

Mercy. "If I might also speak my heart, I must say, that something of him has also dwelt in me. For I have ever been more afraid of the lake and the loss of a place in paradise, than I have been of the loss of other things. Oh, thought I, may I have the happiness to have a habitation there, it is enough, though I part with all the world to win it."

Tuesday, September 27, 2011

Yesterday evening I finally got home after a week of being 'stranded' with no car.... my car was in the shop and staying for a few days with the Es was a blessing - I really, really appreciated how helpful all my friends were when I didn't have transportation - loaning me a car when I really needed one, giving me a place to stay, taking my car that had no power steering to the mechanic for me - the Lord has given me some very good friends.

It was also nice to come back to two packages of books I ordered waiting for me:-). I must say that I really love Swagbucks! Probably all, or most of you know what it's like not to have a lot of extra money to spend on 'fun stuff'' (for me that tends to be books:-) so I love being able to earn points while doing my normal work on the computer and trade them in for amazon gift cards which I then use to buy books. Best of all, it's completely free! By
downloading their toolbar, doing normal online searching, finding codes, watching the
occasional video, and taking advantage of one of their special offers, or surveys
now and then I find I generally earn enough to redeem a $5 Amazon gift
card about every two weeks. In addition to the two books pictured here, I've ordered about 8 other books for my library, and am also working on getting books for my church library.

Please
consider signing up through the widget below - and yes, I will earn
referral swagbucks if you do:-). It's a win, win situation for both of
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Monday, September 26, 2011

Over the weekend I picked up The Christian's High Calling by Maurice Roberts again. I really love his books which are made up of articles that were originally published in the Banner of Truth magazine. Because of that the chapters are self contained and easy to read if you only have short bits of time to sit and read.

This chapter that I shared from, 'Christ's Many Sided Love,' seemed to speak to me right where I was. It's too easy to doubt the Lord's love when we are surrounded by trouble, and I especially get myself in trouble when I look too far ahead (sufficient for the day is the evil thereof), and when I compare my circumstances to others, rather than trusting that the Lord is doing what is best for me. Reading through this helped me to remember, and I need a lot of reminding.....I hope it helps and reminds others who are reading as well!

common fault with us that we try to read the measure the of the love of Jesus from the outward circumstances of our lives. When the sun shines we believe His love. But when the clouds gather we doubt it. When we do not see our prayers at once answered we sink into gloom and morbidity. When troubles gather all around us in dark cluster we conclude that He has forgotten us.

It seldom occurs to us that Christ is best known when we are in trouble, pain, or reproach. We forget who it was that led Israel out of Egypt through the Red Sea, or who guided them through the wilderness to the Promised Land, or who appeared with Shadrach, Meshack, and Abednago in the fiery furnace, or who said to Paul in the shipwreck, 'Fear not, Paul, thou must be brought before Caesar.' We need to go again to Samuel Rutherford's Letters to call to mind that it is in the place of suffering that Jesus Christ is to be enjoyed most. Our faith is too accustomed to only being in the shallows.

Only as we pause, collect ourselves, and look back do we see how kindly He has led us from the hour of our first conversion till now.....The love of Jesus has ensured that no one could snatch us out of His hand. It is all His unnoticed and forgotten love to us.

And what of the moments of fiery trial and temptations when our feet almost slipped away? The true believer knows that Bunyan was right when he wrote of Apollyon, and of the foul fiend, Giant Despair, and of Doubting Castle. We have all been close enough to the pilgrims in their progress to the Celestial City to know that we too have only escaped by the skin of our teeth. It came to pass only through the love of Christ that would not suffer us to be tempted above what we are able to bear. How little we have thanked Him for it!

The worst way to judge Christ's love in this life is to go by outward things therefore. Surely Solomon taught us that in these words: 'No man knoweth either love or hatred by all that is before them.' The Christian who expects Christ to make him richer that others, or healthier, or freer from troubles is ignorant of the first principles of Christ's love.

The fact is that no one knows whom Christ loves or hates by the outward circumstances of life.

The evidence of Christ's love is that we have our wills subdued to obedience, that we be made sound in faith, and sincere in our service.

It may be that the Lord will take stern measures to produce this godly character in us at times....The state of grace is a mysterious condition in which things are not as they seem and are not as we commonly feel them to be. The reason is that in the state of grace we are being taught to 'walk by faith, not by sight.'"

Saturday, September 24, 2011

Two years ago today, after some encouragement from friends, I sat down to start a blog having very little idea what I was doing. I mainly had the idea of regularly sharing posts of pictures for my family......I've learned a lot since then (hopefully not just about blogging).

Recently a friend thanked me for sharing some of my reading with her. I explained to her that after I read or hear something that helped or encouraged me I want to share the blessing and she replied, "I know, it's like the Lord has given you a delicious plate of food and you want everyone to be able to enjoy it."

I loved the way she put it - much better than I did.

Birthdays and anniversaries are a good time to look back and reflect....when I did that I realized how much I enjoy blogging and how it has become a regular part of my life. Both my blog, and all the bloggers I feel I sort of know and enjoy reading:-). Yet another blessing I've found from being part of a community of bloggers is the encouragement I've received from your comments and prayers♥ and I never would have met you all without this blog!

So, with the Lord's help I will continue on writing, but above all seeking to glorify Him through what I post. Thanks to everyone here whether you are visiting for the first time, or following - I hope you'll be blessed as you spend time with me following the Lord and waiting on Him, and that you will all have a blessed weekend:-)

Friday, September 23, 2011

Today I'm joining in at Five Minute Friday where we write for 5 minutes flat – no editing, no over thinking, no backtracking. Today's subject?

Growing.....

Start -

When I think of growing I think of plants growing up in beautiful sunshine, but the truth is plants would never grow without the rainy cloudy days. In the same way we need rainy days, trials, pain to make us grow and be fruitful. I think of the quote -

Grace grows best in winter.

....or these verses from Luke 13:

"He spake also this parable; A certain man had a fig tree planted in
his vineyard; and he came and sought fruit thereon, and found none.

Then
said he unto the dresser of his vineyard, Behold, these three years I
come seeking fruit on this fig tree, and find none: cut it down; why
cumbereth it the ground?

And he answering said unto him, Lord, let it alone this year also, till I shall dig about it, and dung it:

And if it bear fruit, well: and if not, then after that thou shalt cut it down."

we may need digging and dunging which may cause painful growing pains.....but I'd rather that than being cut down!

.......and remembering something I heard in a sermon recently - we may not think we are growing, we can't see or feel it, but neither can we see the actual growth of the children in our lives, yet there is no doubt they are growing!

So today may we all trust the Lord to grow us as He sees fit, and to know that he is doing all for our good.

Thursday, September 22, 2011

This has been a hard week.....and would be tempted to say a bad week if I didn't know the Lord was in control. One difficult thing after another has happened, and I can't remember another time where there have so many reasons to drive us to our knees. I'm ashamed to admit I've given in to stress and fear at times.....and was reminded of this quote I shared on facebook recently from this blog:

"When I surrender to stress; don’t I advertise the unreliability of God?"

So today I'm thankful that the Lord is in control, and that I know He is working all these circumstances for His glory and our good. That He provides and cares for us, that He loves us. I'm especially thankful for this sermon from our prayer meeting last night on Psalm 61. Among other things we were reminded that these trials that bring us into the Valley of Humiliation are actually a blessing as they are the means that drive us to Christ. I've found that to be true......

"Fear not; for thou shalt not be ashamed: neither be thou confounded; for thou shalt not be put to shame.... For the mountains shall depart, and the hills be removed; but my kindness shall not depart from thee, neither shall the covenant of my peace be removed, saith the LORD that hath mercy on thee"

Wednesday, September 21, 2011

When I was at the Conference in August I read through a book of devotional sermons off of the book table, Everlasting Love
by Murdoch Campbell that was encouraging and comforting. Afterwards I
wished I had bought it, as I think it's out of print......so as you can imagine I
was happy to find it available to read online (along with lots of other
good things - this is a site to bookmark!). I read this particular sermon again last night and wanted to share part of it with you all as well as a link for the rest of the sermon.

"....Think of thesympathy and love of the Shepherdtoward His flock. In the natural world the shepherd, however tender and faithful, cannot understand how the weary or enfeebled sheep or lamb may feel in the way. There may be a hidden instinctive pain of which the shepherd can know nothing. This is so because they belong to two different dimensions of existence. There is a fundamental difference of nature. Our Lord, however, has a human nature as well as the Divine. He is, therefore, touched with a feeling of our infirmities. “In all their afflictions He was afflicted.” In this world He was “a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief.” “Surely He hath borne our griefs and carried our sorrows.”

His sympathy with His afflicted people is, therefore, very real. He has passed through all our sorrows. Although in Him was no sin, all our weaknesses, perplexities, trials and hidden griefs were in His cup. Our tears and our wounded spirits touch him as they cannot touch our nearest friends on earth. His people are the apple of His eye. He knows our frame. He knows our enemies. He knows our burdens.

He also knows that many of our sufferings are due to our attachment to Him, and to His cause in this world. “For thy sake are we killed all the day, we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.” One wonder of His care over us is the way He adapts Himself to our personal states. He leadeth gently those that are with young. He carries the lambs to His bosom. He applies His balm to the hurts of those who suffer for His sake. When they are ready to halt He gives them rest. “As a beast goeth down into the valley the Spirit of the Lord caused them to rest; so didst thou lead thy people to make thyself a glorious name.” (Isaiah 63). How sweet to know then that nothing will ever emerge in our lives but He is ever beside each one of us. “The Lord is my Shepherd.” “I will fear no evil for Thou art with me.”

Tuesday, September 20, 2011

"Are not five sparrows sold for two farthings, and not one of them is forgotten before God? But even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not therefore: ye are of more value than many sparrows....And he said unto his disciples, Therefore I say unto you, Take no
thought for your life, what ye shall eat; neither for the body, what ye
shall put on.

The life is more than meat, and the body is more than raiment.

Consider
the ravens: for they neither sow nor reap; which neither have
storehouse nor barn; and God feedeth them: how much more are ye better
than the fowls?

And which of you with taking thought can add to his stature one cubit?

If ye then be not able to do that thing which is least, why take ye thought for the rest?

Consider
the lilies how they grow: they toil not, they spin not; and yet I say
unto you, that Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of
these.

If then
God so clothe the grass, which is to day in the field, and to morrow is
cast into the oven; how much more will he clothe you, O ye of little
faith?

And seek not ye what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink, neither be ye of doubtful mind.

For all these things do the nations of the world seek after: and your Father knoweth that ye have need of these things.

But rather seek ye the kingdom of God; and all these things shall be added unto you.

Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom.

Sell
that ye have, and give alms; provide yourselves bags which wax not old,
a treasure in the heavens that faileth not, where no thief approacheth,
neither moth corrupteth.

Monday, September 19, 2011

"He covereth the heaven with
clouds, which darken the air and intercept the beams of the
sun, and yet in them he prepareth that rain for the
earth which is necessary to its fruitfulness. Clouds look
melancholy, and yet without them we could have no rain and
consequently no fruit. Thus afflictions, for the present, look
black, and dark, and unpleasant, and we are in heaviness because of
them, as sometimes when the sky is overcast it makes us dull; but
they are necessary, for from these clouds of affliction come those
showers that make the harvest to yield the peaceable fruits of
righteousness, which should help to reconcile us to them."

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"Seek ye the LORD while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near: For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts. For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater: So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it." Isaiah 55:6,8-1